Storage and display rack for DVDs

ABSTRACT

A high capacity motorized rack holds a plurality of DVD boxes or containers in holders flexibly inter-connectable with each other to form a rotatable continuous loop. The loop is rotatably retained within a vertical rack housing and is driven by a motor, disposed within the housing, under user control such that the loop is rotated until a desired DVD is moved to the top fan-out region of the belt. A rack may hold two or more such loops of inter-connected holders. A preferred embodiment employs inter-connectable holders that each retain two DVD boxes in a side-by-side configuration. A lamp and/or barcode scanner may be disposed on the housing for ease of DVD selection. User control can include voice commands to direct loop rotation and speed.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

[0001] This application is a divisional of copending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/354,558, Jan. 30, 2003, which claims priorityfrom U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/386,109, filed on Jun.5, 2002, and 60/386,004, filed on Jun. 5, 2002, and which applicationsare incorporated herein by reference.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is related to co-pending application: “STORAGEAND DISPLAY RACK FOR DVDs,” U.S. application Ser. No. 10/354,380, filedon Jan. 30, 2003, which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/215,793, filed on Aug. 9, 2002, which is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/215,767, filed on Aug. 9, 2002, which is relatedto U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/215,745, filed on Aug. 9, 2002,which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/215,744, filedon Aug. 9, 2002, which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/215,743, filed on Aug. 9, 2002, which is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/215,696, filed on Aug. 9, 2002, which is relatedto U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/873,807, filed on Jun. 4, 2002,now U.S. Pat. No. 6,520,347, which is related to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/721,001, filed on Nov. 22, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No.6,464,088, which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/625,228, filed on Jul. 24, 2000, and which is related to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/240,308, filed on Jan. 29, 1999, now abandoned,and which applications are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention relates generally to racks for holdingobjects such as digital video disks (DVDs), DVD cases, and other similaritems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0004] DVD racks that have no moving parts, in the form of verticaltowers or horizontal cabinets, are known. When a large quantity of DVDsare stored in such towers or cabinets, it can be difficult to displayand select a desired DVD, especially if the desired DVD is stored in thelower portion of a vertical tower.

[0005] Applicants' parent application disclosed a motorized compact disk(CD) storage device or rack that can store many CDs or the like in arotatable rack and that can rotate the CDs until the desired CD appears.When the desired CD appears, rotation can be stopped and the desired CDremoved from the rack.

[0006] Notwithstanding that the disclosed rack could store a great manyCDs or other objects and has met with great consumer success, there is aneed for a rack that can store DVDs. Further, since DVDs are often usedin an environment with subdued ambient lighting, there is a need for aDVD rack that can illuminate DVDs retained by the rack, for ease ofselection in such an environment. There is a need to promote such easeof use by, for example, providing an option for hand-operated and/orfoot-operable variable speed, and variable direction, and stop and gooperation of the rack. Enlarging the holding capacity of such rackstypically requires a larger base, for reasons of stability. Howeverenlarging the base can require a larger carton in which to ship suchracks, thus adding to the overall cost of bringing the product to themarketplace. Thus, there is a need for base mechanism that provides therequisite stability for a rack, yet does not require a larger shippingcarton. Further such rack should provide an option to automaticallycease rotation upon scan code recognition of a DVD or other retainedobject, or upon voice command from a user. Finally, it is preferred thatsuch rack have the ability to be electronically daisy-chained to othersuch racks.

[0007] Unlike CD jewel boxes, DVD boxes are commonly manufactured in twodifferent configurations. A first common DVD box configuration is anAmaray Safe Box. The Amaray Safe Box is a 7.52″×5.35″×0.6″ box that hasa push-button locking tray hub for easy disc release, and clamps formulti-page booklets. A second common DVD box configuration, often knownas a Snapper Box, is similar to the Amaray Safe Box, but is7.47″×5.58″×0.53″ in size. A motorized rack to hold DVD boxes preferablyshould be able to store both sizes of DVD boxes. Further, as the holdersfor the DVD cases are necessarily larger than holders for CD cases, itwould be desirable to ship the rack with such holders in a compactformat, thus saving on the cost of the container that holds the rack andin shipping costs. The present invention provides such a rack.

SUMMARY OF SOME OF THE ASPECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0008] In the preferred embodiments of the invention, storage capacityin a rack is increased by providing inter-connectable holders that forma rotatable loop or belt. In one embodiment of the invention, eachholder retains at least one object such as a DVD box or case which canhave various sizes. In another embodiment of the invention a multi-looprack comprises side-by-side loops formed of inter-connectable holdersthat each retain a single object. In still another embodiment, eachholder can retain at least two such objects in a side-by-sideconfiguration. Thus, a single loop of inter-connected holders can becreated in which more than one object is retained in each holder. Inthese embodiments, retained objects can be viewed by a user during looprotation, and loop rotation can be halted by the user when a desiredretained object is observed. At the top regions of the loop rotation,the retained objects are moved through a fan-out region in which theobject can be especially easily removed from the halted loop, e.g., bygrasping with the user's fingers.

[0009] Each holder embodiment preferably includes first and second wallsor fingers that are retained a spaced-apart distance from each otherthat is sufficient to admit and retain at least a portion of at leastone such object. To improve retention, a holder-facing surface of one ofthe walls or fingers travels the entire width of the DVD case, andincludes a retention member that prevents the DVD case from sliding outof holder. In other embodiments, the retention member is slidablyengaged with the finger so that it can be adjusted to an up position ora down position, or to the specific width of the DVD. A holder that issized to retain two objects will be approximately twice the width of asingle-object holder. A two-object holder can include a partition wallor finger that separates at least a portion of facing surfaces of twoobjects retained in the holder.

[0010] Each holder further includes at least one male (or first-type)interconnect mechanism or coupling and at least one female (orsecond-type) interconnect mechanism or coupling. These mechanisms areformed such that the male mechanism on a first holder interlocks with anadjacent second holder's female mechanism, and the female mechanism onthe first holder interlocks with an adjacent third holder's malemechanism. The rotatable loop formed by inter-connecting such holdersmay be said to be modular in that loop length can be varied by adding orsubtracting (i.e., removing) holders. Each holder preferably isintegrally formed as a single piece component.

[0011] The rotatable loop or loops are preferably disposed within a rackthat includes left and right vertical supports that attached to a basemember. A rack embodiment comprising separate loops (i.e., two loops)formed from single-object interlocked holders can include a thirdvertical support intermediate the two side-by-side single-objectholders. Although the loop or loops could be manually rotated, forexample with a hand crank or simply by moving the holders with a hand,more preferably the loop(s) are rotatable using an electric motor. Inone embodiment, there is a single sprocket rotation axis near the topfan-out (or turnaround) loop region and a single sprocket rotation axisnear the bottom fan-out (or turnaround) loop region. However two or moreparallel sprocket rotation axes could instead be provided in either orboth fan-out regions. Further a single sprocket rotation axis, withoutan axis at the bottom is also contemplated.

[0012] The motor is powered by batteries (e.g., mounted in the basemember), or may be powered by an external source. One or moreuser-operable controls governs rotational direction and speed of theloop(s) formed by the interconnected holders. One such control can belocated on one of the vertical support members for use by the user'shand. Alternatively or additionally, equivalent controls can be disposedon the base member for use by the user's feet.

[0013] The base member preferably has user-attachable base side membersthat, when attached, enlarge the effective footprint of the overall basestructure, thus enhancing stability of the rack. However, when the rackis shipped by the manufacturer, the base side members can be detached,which permits shipment to occur in a smaller and less expensive shippingcarton. In another embodiment, each holder includes an adjustableretention tab that is pushed into its most compact height duringshipping to minimize the size of the shipping carton.

[0014] The rack includes an optional light unit comprising, for example,several white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a diffuser. The lightunit can be located near the fan-out region of the rack, preferably toan upper portion of one of the vertical side members. When the motor isenergized, the light source illuminates objects retained by the holdersfor ease of viewing and selection, and can continue to illuminate for aperiod of time (e.g., a minute or so) after motor rotation is halted bythe user. Optionally, the light unit can be provided with an opticalscanner that scans bar code information attached to and identifyingcontents of objects retained by the rack. An optional remote controldevice can be user operable to command electronics associated with therack to halt loop rotation when the scanner recognizes a bar codedesired by the user, the desired bar code having been communicatedpreferably remotely by the user to the electronics. If desired, thescanner unit could be augmented with a voice recognition system thatwould halt loop rotation when a user-vocalized identified object wasrecognized by the scanner. Alternatively, if the user were sufficientlyclose to the rack to directly see the desired object, a voice commandcould be used to halt rack rotation to facilitate user removal of thedesired object from the rack. A rack may be electronically daisy-chainedto one or more other racks such that user commanded rotation of one rackcauses loops in all racks to rotate.

[0015] Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear fromthe following description in which the preferred embodiments have beenset forth in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings andin the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of a DVD rack, accordingto the present invention;

[0017]FIG. 2 is a side view of the DVD rack shown in FIG. 1;

[0018]FIG. 3 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of an upperportion of the DVD rack;

[0019]FIG. 4 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of a lower portionof the DVD rack;

[0020]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a single object holder, accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021]FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the single object holder ofFIG. 5;

[0022]FIG. 7 is an end view of the single object holder of FIG. 5;

[0023]FIG. 8 is side elevational view of the single object holder ofFIG. 5;

[0024]FIG. 9 is a top view of the single object holder of FIG. 5;

[0025]FIGS. 10A-10F; FIG. 10A-10D are various perspective views of anobject holder that includes an adjustable retention member, according toan embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 10E and 10F are,respectively, rear and front perspective views of the adjustableretention member of FIGS. 10A-10D;

[0026]FIGS. 11A-11B; FIG. 11A is a side elevation view illustratingseveral interconnected holders, according to an embodiment of thepresent invention FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of theinterconnected holders shown in FIG. 11A;

[0027]FIG. 12 is a side elevation view illustrating the holders of FIG.11A, as they would be rotated about a sprocket;

[0028]FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the inventionshown in FIG. 1 with some of the holders removed to show the interiormechanism of the DVD rack;

[0029]FIG. 14 is a perspective view similar to FIG. 1, illustrating analternative embodiment of a DVD rack;

[0030]FIGS. 15A-15C; FIG. 15A is a perspective view of an embodiment ofa double object holder for retaining objects; FIG. 15B is a perspectiveview of another embodiment of a double object holder for retainingobjects; FIG. 15C is a rear perspective view of the double object holdershown in FIG. 15B;

[0031]FIGS. 16A-16C; FIG. 16A is a perspective view of an embodiment ofa double-loop DVD rack comprising interconnected single object holders;FIG. 16B is a perspective view of the partially assembled embodiment ofFIG. 16A; FIG. 16C is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a DVDrack comprising interconnected double object holders; and

[0032]FIGS. 17A-17D; FIG. 17A is a schematic side view depicting a DVDrack with two rotation axes; FIG. 17B is a schematic side view depictinga DVD rack with two rotation axes and vertical support members that areenlarged adjacent the base member; FIG. 17C is a schematic side viewdepicting a DVD rack with three rotation axes and vertical supportmembers that are enlarged adjacent the base member; and FIG. 17D is aschematic side view depicting a DVD rack with four rotation axes andvertical support members that are enlarged adjacent the base member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0033]FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a first embodiment of a tower-like rack 10according to the present invention capable of storing multiplecontainers (for example, DVD boxes) 18 (FIG. 13) containing, forexample, DVDs on a conveyer-like apparatus. The rack 10 (also referredto as tower 10) is a device for retaining, in a preferred embodiment, upto one hundred or more DVDs in their cases. The rack 10 includesmultiple holders 32 that are linked together to form an endless belt 23(also referred to as loop 23). As described later herein, the belt 23 oflinked-together holders 32 can be driven by an electric motor 28 (seeFIG. 4).

[0034] Appropriate controls, for example knob 37 (FIG. 3), connected toan electrical switch (not shown) can be used to connect motor 28 (FIG.4) to (1) a DC voltage of a first polarity, (2) a DC voltage of anopposite second polarity, (3) to adjust the magnitude of the voltage ofeither polarity, or (4) to apply no DC voltage at all. The result is tocause the belt or loop 23 to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwisedirection (e.g., as indicated by arrows 20, FIG. 3), to adjust motorrotational speed (e.g., from high to low), or to halt all movement ofthe belt 23 by disconnecting the operating voltage from the motor 28. Asshown in FIG. 3, the control 37 can be rotated clockwise to cause theloop 23 to rotate clockwise, or counterclockwise to cause the loop 23 torotate in a counterclockwise direction. In an embodiment, the more thatthe control 37 is rotated in any direction, the smaller the amount ofvoltage that is applied to the motor 28 and the slower the loop 23rotates in the desired direction. Conversely, in an alternativeembodiment, the more that the control 37 is rotated in a desireddirection of rotation with the loop, the faster that the belt or loop 23rotates in that direction. Control 37 enables a user to cause beltrotation until the desired object (typically a DVD enclosed within acontainer 18) reaches the top region 11 of the rack 10. At the topregion 11 (as well as at the bottom most region) the holders 32 (andthereby the containers 18) fan out, which facilitates the manual removalof containers 18 from the rack 10 by a human hand. Normally, in thevertical belt regions 13, the containers 18 are retained so closely toone another that their removal from the holders would be difficult.However, the fan out that occurs in turnaround region 11 (also referredto as the fan-out region 11) eases user-removal of a desired object 18from the rack 10.

[0035] Racks 10, such as depicted in FIGS. 1, 2, 13, and 14, that rotatea linked-together loop 23 formed from holders 32 that retain only asingle object 18 will also be referred to herein as single loop racks.As will be discussed in more detail below (e.g., with reference to FIG.16B), some embodiments of the present invention have multiple loops.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 1, the continuous belt or loop 23, formed fromlinked-together holders 32, preferably is vertically disposed between apair of opposed spaced-apart vertical supports 14 and 16, that areattached to a rack base 12. An alternative mounting configuration tothat shown in FIG. 1 can include affixing loop 23 for rotation against avertical structure such as a wall. Although the preferred embodimentswill be described with respect to electric motor loop rotation, themotor 28 could be replaced (or augmented) by a hand crank that a usercould rotate to rotate the belt or loop 23. The various structures arepreferably fabricated from an inexpensive, light weight material such asABS-type plastic, although other materials may be used.

[0037] Referring now to FIG. 3, drive sprockets 36, 38 rotate on a shaft40 journaled between vertical supports 14 and 16. The shaft 40 andsprockets 36, 38 are disposed within the upper portion of rack or tower10 and are rotated by motor 28 (see FIG. 4), e.g., by use of control 37(see FIG. 1). FIG. 4 provides further details of the drive system. In anembodiment of the present invention, motor 28 drives lower drivesprockets 22, 24 on shaft 26 using a pulley arrangement 30. Motor 28,sprockets 22 and 24, and pulley 30 are shown as being disposed near thebase 12 of rack 10, thereby lowering the center of gravity of rack 10.Alternatively, motor 28 can be located near the top of rack 10 (e.g., asshown in the embodiment of FIG. 16B). Even though only a single uppersprocket can be used (e.g., centered on shaft 40), the use of the pairof sprockets 36 and 38 provides a more balanced drive to the continuousloop 23 formed by inter-connected holders 32. To ensure sufficienttension in the loop, bearing blocks that act as shims can be used tomount shaft 40 (and/or shaft 26). Alternatively, the motor 28 (alongwith the pulley arrangement 30) can drive the upper sprockets 36, 38,rather than the lower sprockets 22, 24. In such an arrangement, thelower sprocket, 22, 24 can optionally be eliminated and the lower fanout region can hang, rather than being engaged about sprockets. Suchhanging would ensure sufficient tension in the loop 23.

[0038] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, vertical side supports 14 and 16preferably include rails 44 and 46 to effectively guide and retaincontinuous loop 23 in cooperation with the slidable interlock units 47(FIG. 6) formed on a base surface 27 (which faces inside rack 10) ofeach holder 32. As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 9, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention, interlock units 47 are L-shapedsuch that they can engage with and slide along rails 44 and 46. Togetherthese components facilitate retained vertical up or down sliding travelof holders 32. As shown in FIG. 3, rails 46 and 44 terminate beforeupper turnaround region 11 (and also terminate before the bottomturnaround region) to allow the loop 23 to curve (e.g., by turning aboutthe sprockets).

[0039] Objects or containers 18 are releasably retained by a flexiblecoupling of holders 32, as described with reference to FIGS. 5-10, whichdepict the holder 32 in further detail and with different orientations.Each holder 32 include a base 33 from which extend a pair of fingers 34and 35 that are spaced-apart a distance sufficient to receive at leastone edge portion of a container 18 in a slot-like space formedtherebetween. Fingers 34 and 35 receive the opposite (e.g., left andright) edges (or sides) of a DVD case or container that is inserted intothe slot-like space formed between the fingers. As previously mentioned,a DVD case has two common configurations. To ensure that both sizes ofDVD cases may fit into the holder 32, opposing faces of fingers 34 and35 of each holder 32 are spaced approximately 7.6″ apart.

[0040] These fingers 34 and 35 promote the receiving and retaining of aDVD case 18, which is retained until selected and removed from theholder 32 by a user. As shown in FIGS. 5-9, each holder 32 includes ashort finger 34 and a long finger 35. In a preferred embodiment, theshort finger 34 travels approximately one-third across the top or bottomsurface, and the long finger 35 travels approximately three-fourthsacross the opposite surface when a DVD case 18 is inserted into theholder 32. It is within the scope and spirit of the invention for thefingers 34 and 35 to extend various other distances across a case 18.The fingers 34 and 35 are substantially parallel to each other in orderto conform to the shape of the DVD case 18.

[0041] Each holder 32 includes a retention member 52 extending from thefinger 35. The retention member 52 includes a platform 54, having afirst retention tab 56 and a second retention tab 58 extending from theplatform 54. The retention member 52 is designed to hold the container18 within the holder 32 as it rotates. The platform 54 is substantiallythe same width as the base 33. In general, the platform 54 must be longenough so that tab 56 or 58 will engage a top corner of the DVD case 18while the case 18 is retained within the holder 32. The platform 54 ispreferably flexible such that it can be bent in a direction specified byarrow 59 to allow for the insertion and removal of a container 18. Theplatform 54 (and other features of retention member 52) can beintegrally formed with finger 35 (and possibly the other portions ofholder 32) as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In such an embodiment, theplatform 54 can be thinner than finger 35 so that platform 54 isflexible. The first tab 56 and second tab 58 extend inward from (andsubstantially perpendicular to) the platform 54 towards the short finger34. As best shown in FIG. 9, the second tab 58 is located above thefirst tab 56 (i.e., a further distance from the base 33). The second tab58 also extends out from the platform 54 further than the first tab 56.

[0042] A benefit of the first finger 34 only extending about one thirdthe length of a container 18 is that a container 18 can be angled intothe slot-like space (defined between fingers 34 and 35) withoutrequiring a person to pull back retention member 52. This can beaccomplished by lowering first the corner of the container 18 locatedclosest to the first finger 34. As the container 18 is angled into theslot-like space, an edge of the container 18 pushes against second tab58 and bends back retention member 52 (in the direction specified byarrow 59). Once the container 18 is fully inserted into the holder 32,the first and/or second tabs 56, 58 snap over the container 18 andprevent the container 18 from sliding out of the holder 32, as isdescribed in more detail below. However, a person can pull backretention member 52 (e.g., using a finger tab 57, discussed in moredetail below) to assist in the insertion of the container 18.

[0043] The first and second tabs 56 and 58 are located at differentheights and have unequal lengths so that either of two different sizedDVD cases 18 can be retained in the holder 32. Depending on the size ofthe DVD case 18, either the first tab 56 or both tabs 56, 58 engage aportion of the DVD case 18. When a first sized DVD box 18 (e.g.,7.51″×5.35″×0.6″) is placed into the holder 32, the case or box 18 iscompletely contained within the area defined by the first tab 56, thebase 33, and the fingers 34 and 35. The height from the base 33 to thefirst tab 56 is preferably slightly greater than the shorter length ofthe first sized DVD case 18 (e.g., slightly greater than 5.35″). Thefirst tab 56 extends along a portion of the case's outer edge,preventing the case 18 from sliding out of the holder 32 as it rotates.

[0044] When a second sized DVD case 18 (e.g., 7.47″×5.58″×0.53″) isinserted into the holder, the DVD case 18 is completely contained withinthe area defined by the second tab 58, the base 33, and the first andsecond finger 34 and 35. The height of the second tab 58, from base 33is preferably slightly greater than the shorter length of the secondsized DVD case 18 (e.g., slightly greater than 5.58″). Accordingly, thesecond tab 58 extends along a portion of the outer edge of the DVD case18, preventing the DVD case 18 from sliding out of the holder 32 as itrotates. In this situation, both the first tab 56 and second tab 58engage the case 18. The first tab 56 engages the side of the DVD casefacing the long finger 35 and provides a positive force that pushes theDVD case 18 against the short finger 34. This positive force creates ahigher frictional force between the DVD box 18 and the short finger 34.In general, the platform 54 acts as a cantilever, predisposed to returnto its original position (e.g., extending linearly from the finger 35).As shown in FIGS. 6, 8 and 9, a rib 55 extends from platform 54, betweenthe first tab 56 and the second tab 58, the same distance as does thefirst tab 56. The rib 55 strengthens the first and second tabs 56, 58.Further, the outer most edge of the rib 55 (i.e., the edge closest tofinger 34) rests against (and pushes against) an edge of an insertedsecond sized DVD box 18.

[0045] Once a DVD case 18 is “locked” into a holder 32, it can be“released” by pulling the retention member 52 back and away from the DVDcase 18 (i.e., in the direction specified by the arrow 59). In apreferred embodiment, the retention member includes a finger tab 57 thatprotrudes above the second tab 58. The finger tab 57 is useful forenabling a user (i.e., person) to bend the retention member 52 (in thedirection specified by the arrow 59) when inserting or removing acontainer 18.

[0046] The formation of belt 23 by snapping-together adjacent holders 32will now be described. In overview, each holder 32 includes hingedcoupling means or mechanism 50 (FIG. 11B) that allows adjacent holdersto be flexibly coupled to one another. In this fashion, using nothingbut the holders themselves, a continuous loop or belt 23 oflinked-together (or hinged-together) holders 32 is formed, for example,as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B. The coupling mechanism 50 creates a belt23 of holders that is sufficiently flexible to permit the loop or belt23 to turn around on sprockets (e.g., sprocket 36, as shown in FIG. 12)at, for example, turnaround region 11 shown at the top of FIG. 1. Theuse of a snap-together type coupling permits easy assembly of thecontinuous loop or belt 23 using nothing but the holders 32 themselves.Further, as described herein, the snap-together type couplingcontributes to the modular nature of rack 10 by allowing additionalholders 32 to be added to expand the rack storage capacity. Thisexpansion capability is described below in more detail with reference toFIG. 14.

[0047] Referring again specifically to FIGS. 5-9, each holder 32includes at least one of each of (and preferably two of each of) a maleor ball or cylindrical type coupling 21 and socket or female typecoupling 17 having a distal end 17 a. Preferably, each is formed on thebase surface 27 of the holder 32. As best seen in FIGS. 5 and 7, themale couplings 21 and the female couplings 17 are disposed on oppositesides of the base surface 27. The male type coupling 21 is preferably acurved cylindrical shape protruding outwardly from the base surface 27of the holder 32. The male coupling 21 snaps into a mating female socket17 on a next adjacent holder 32. The distal end 17 a of the femalecoupling 17 extends or protrudes into a slot 25 adjacent each malecoupling 21 when adjacent holders 32 inter-connect.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 11B, a snapped-together male and female coupling(from adjacent holders 32) form a hinge 50. Such coupling advantageouslyhelps holders 32 to be sufficiently flexibly interlinked so as to rotatearound a sprocket(s) (e.g., sprocket 36, as shown in FIG. 12). Inaddition, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, such coupling also permitsadjacent holders to maintain their physical contiguous relationship witheach other when the loop or belt 23 is rotated. Such close relationshipadvantageously helps rack 10 maximize storage density. As shown in FIG.11B, the distal end 17 a of each female coupling 17 extends into theslot 25 of an adjacent holder 32. The distal end 17 a may protrudethrough the base 33 of the holder 32, especially as adjacent holders 32fan out. In operation, the female coupling 17 slides or rotates relativeto the male coupling 21 as the holders 32 fan out. The distal end 17 aof the female coupling 17 travels through the slot 25 until the distalend 17 a approaches and contacts the inner wall 68 of base 33. Thedistance the distal end 17 a can travel before contacting the inner wall68 determines how far the holders 32 may fan out at the turnaroundregion 11. Each holder 32 has a pair of ribs 70 (FIG. 7, 10) extendingupward from the base 33 to prevent a DVD box 18 from contacting thedistal end 17 a of the female coupling 17 as the female coupling 17rotates relative to the male coupling 21. The ribs 70 operate as abackstop to prevent a DVD box 18 from interfering with the hinge 50. Asdescribed above and as shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 8, 9, each holder 32preferably includes a pair of somewhat L-shaped interlocks 47 thatproject from the inward facing surface 27 of holder 32 to engage, forexample, rails or guides 44, 46 (FIG. 3) and be guided thereby.

[0049] Referring once more to FIG. 12, the curved exterior surface ofthe female coupling 17 is seated in the groove or valley 41 betweenadjacent teeth 37 on a sprocket (e.g., sprocket 36, or any of the othersprockets of rack 10). The grooves or valleys 41 (between adjacent teeth37) are preferably rounded to substantially match and mate with therounded outer surface of each female coupling 17. Such mating engagementnot only makes effective engagement between the continuous loop 23 ofinterlocked holders 32 and a drive sprocket (e.g., sprocket 36), butadvantageously promotes fan out of holders 32 and their associatedcontainers 18 at turnaround regions, e.g., region 11, as shown inFIG. 1. Such fan out permits a desired container 18 to be readilyremoved from rack 10. As previously mentioned, adjacent holders 32 mayfan out relative to each other because of the interaction between themale coupling 21, the slot 25 and the female coupling 17.

[0050]FIG. 13 depicts the interior of rack 10 and shows many elementsalso depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4. Using control 37, the user can causebelt 23 to rotate until a desired object 18, e.g., a DVD case, is movedto upper fan-out region 11, where a fan out of the retained casesoccurs. The user then stops belt rotation with control 37, e.g., byinterrupting flow of operating power to the motor 28, whereupon thedesired case 18 (and DVD within) is easily removed from the holder 32 inregion 11, with the user's fingers.

[0051] As noted earlier, belt 23 may be varied in length by adding orsubtracting inter-lockable holders 32. FIG. 14 depicts a modularembodiment of rack 10, in which left and right vertical support members14 and 16 are modular, and include for example, vertical supportsegments 16′a, 16′b, and 16′c. A rack 10 including a great manyinterlocked holders 32 can include more vertical segments 16 a, 16, 16 c. . . , to lengthen the rack height to accommodate the increased lengthof belt 23.

[0052] Finally, to further automate selection of DVDs, a bar code stripmay be attached to each container 18. In one embodiment, a bar codereader 49 (FIG. 13) can be included with rack 10 such that each bar codestrip is read as the cases 18 are rotated. Upon recognizing auser-desired DVD selection by its bar code, rotation of belt 23 can behalted automatically by the bar code reader, whereupon the desired DVDand its case can be removed, preferably from fan out region 11 near thetop of rack 10. Supplementing the bar code reader 49, a memory unit 51can be included to store the location of each DVD. Once the entire loopof DVDs has been scanned and the position of each DVD is stored in thememory unit 51, the location of each DVD can be efficiently locatedwithout having to scan extra DVDs to locate the desired DVD.Alternatively, multiple bar code readers can be included along the pathof loop 23 to efficiently find any desired DVD. Other bar codeembodiments are presented below.

[0053] Another embodiment of a holder is shown in FIGS. 10A-10F. Thisholder 32′ shares many of the same elements as the previously mentionedholder 32, such as a female coupling 17, a male coupling 21, and a pairof fingers 34 and 35′. Instead of having a fixed length retention member52 that extends from finger 35, the holder 32′ includes an adjustableretention member 52′ that slidably engages finger 35′. The adjustableretention member 52′ includes a platform 54′ and a pair of tabs 56 and58 extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom. Tracks 66 arelocated within the finger 35′ so that the adjustable member 52′ can beretained by and move up and down along the tracks 66. Parallel railsextend from an inner surface of platform 54′ to assist in movement ofadjustable member 52′ within tracks 66.

[0054] Parallel slots 67 extend into an inner surface of finger 35′ andpreferably through an outer surface of finger 35′, as shown in FIG. 10C.A pair of holes 61 extend into an inner surface of finger 35′ (one ofholes 61 is shown in FIG. 10D). Each hole 61 can be an indent in theinner surface of finger 35′, or preferably, can extend through an outersurface of finger 35′ (as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10C). Holes 61 areshown as being round, however, they can be another shape (e.g., square).Referring to FIG. 10E, a pair of bumps or protrusions 69 are located onan outer surface of the platform 54′ for engaging and traveling withinslots 67 as the adjustable member 52′ is moved up and down. A furtherbump 63 is located on the outer surface of the platform 54′ for restingand locking in one of the holes 61. More specifically, when theadjustable retention member 52′ is pushed all the way down, as shown inFIGS. 10A and 10B, the bump 63 rests within the lower hole 61, therebylocking the adjustable member 52′ in the down position. When theadjustable member is pushed all the way up, as shown in FIGS. 10C and10D, the bump 63 rests within the upper hole 61, thereby locking theadjustable retention member 52′ in the up position. While in the upposition, holder 32′ can retain a first or second sized container 18. Ascan be seen in FIG. 10C, another hole 61′ is located between the hole61. This intermediate hole allows the member 52′ to be positioned in anintermediate position to retain an object of yet another size.

[0055] When the adjustable retention member 52′ is in the down position,a total length of the member 52′ plus the finger 35′ is substantiallythe same height as the finger 35′ alone (i.e., the tab 56 is flushagainst the top of the finger 35′). Finger 35′ can be made shorter tofurther reduce dimensions, so long as tabs 58 and 56 can achieve theproper height when adjustable retention member 52′ is in the upposition. In other words, finger 35′ may only extend about half thelength of a retained container 18, rather than about three fourths thelength as discussed above. Accordingly, the dimensions of a shippingcontainer (e.g., a corrugated box) that the DVD rack 10 with theadjustable member 52′ is packaged in can be smaller and the containercan require less material. This will save shipping costs and storagespace. After the rack 10 is unpacked by a user and set up, theadjustable retention member 52′ of each holder 32′ can be pulled outuntil it is in the up position. Once the retention member 52′ is in theup position, holder 32′ operates in the same manner as holder 32. Thatis, holder 32′ can retain either a first or second sized DVD box 18, asdescribed above, through use of tab 58 and/or tab 56.

[0056] In another embodiment, each holder 32′ can include a single tab(similar to tab 58 or 56) that extends perpendicularly from platform 54′(rather than two tabs 58 and 56). In such an embodiment, each holder 32′may be individually configured by adjusting the member 52′ to theappropriate height to retain either a first or second sized DVD box 18.In such an embodiment, one or more additional bumps 61 can be locatedwithin the finger 35′ so that the adjusting member 52′ (including bump63) can be locked at the appropriate height to retain either a first orsecond sized DVD box 18. It is also within the spirit and scope of thepresent invention for the member 52′ to travel up and down the finger 35by other means.

[0057] Even though many of the figures herein illustrate variationsusing holders 32, all variations may also incorporate the holders 32′with adjustable retention members 52′. That is, any and all of theholders that include a non-adjustable retention member 52 can bemodified to include an adjustable retention member 52′.

[0058] In further embodiments of the present invention, each holderholds more than one container, for example, as shown in FIG. 15A. FIG.15A depicts an embodiment of a holder 150 that can retain, in aside-by-side configuration, two DVD cases 18. Many aspects of holder 150are similar to the holders 32 and 32′. The holder 150 includes upper andlower walls 160 and 170 that are joined, at least partially, to a rearwall 130. Holder 150 further includes a partition sidewall 180, thatjoins at least a portion of the upper and lower walls 160 and 170, andleft and right outer sidewalls 190 and 200. As was the case with holder32 as shown in FIGS. 5-9, the various sidewalls form fingers that areadapted to accept and retain containers 18.

[0059] As described herein, dual holders 150 are linked togethersimilarly to the manner by which holders 32 (as depicted in FIGS. 11Aand 11B) are linked. Thus, a preferably rear portion of holders 150 willinclude at least one male coupling 21 and at least one female coupling17, which couplings 17 and 21 can be the same as those described earlierherein. By way of example, each half-section of holder 150 depicted inFIG. 15A has two female couplings 17 and two male couplings 21, althoughmore or fewer than two couplings each can be employed. Slots 19 shown inFIG. 15A are, as before, artifacts associated with the casting of holder150. The rear wall 130 of holder 150 includes two L-shaped slideableinterlocks 47 that project from the inward facing surface 27 of wall 130to define gaps or slots 42. As seen in FIG. 15A, holder 150 includesretention members 52 with platform 54 and tabs 56 and 58 that operate aspreviously described. Each holder 150 can alternatively includeadjustable retention members 52′, as in holder 32′.

[0060]FIG. 15B depicts another embodiment of a holder 150′ that canretain more than one DVD case 18 (or other object). The embodiment shownis similar to that of FIG. 15A in that two DVD cases 18 are retained ina side-by-side configuration. It is noted, however, that theconfiguration of FIG. 15B provides a single female coupling 17 and asingle male coupling 21 for each half of the holder, as contrasted withFIG. 15A in which more than one coupling pair was disposed on eachholder half.

[0061]FIG. 15C is a rear perspective view of holder 150′ as shown inFIG. 15B, and but for the number of female and male couplings 17 and 21could also serve as a rear perspective view of holder 150 shown in FIG.15A. An optional dorsal fin like member 210 may be provided on the rearwall 130 of holder 150′ or 150 to aid in retaining alignment incooperation with the driven cogs that rotate a belt formed of holders150′ or 150, linked-together by female and male couplings 17 and 21.Slot pairs 220 show on rear surface 130 of holder 150′ (or 150) areso-called core-through slots that are present to remove plastic from theregion of the cast projections during manufacture of the holders.

[0062] Dual DVD case holders 150 or 150′ will be approximately twice aswide as single DVD case holders 32 and 32′. As with holders 32, 32′,150, or 150′, it is preferred that the holders are injection moldedplastic (e.g., ABS type plastic), and that the entire holder isintegrally formed as a single component, rather than as a partialcomponent to which female and male couplings 17 and 21 may later beaffixed, or to which projections 47 may later be affixed. Of course, inthe embodiments including one or more adjustable members 52′, eachadjustable member is most likely manufactured separately from theremainder of the holder.

[0063] Further, it is noted that instead of (or in addition to) platform54 extending from central sidewall 180, as shown in FIG. 15B, suchplatform can extend from sidewall 200 with the tabs 56, 58 pointinginwardly toward the retained DVD case.

[0064] The rack 10 depicted in FIG. 1 provides a single continuous beltor loop 23 of holders 32. It is within the scope of the presentinvention that a loop 23 can alternatively include holders 32′, 150 or150′. In other embodiments of the present invention, each rack supportsmultiple loops 23 (e.g., two loops) of inter-connected holders 32, 32′,150 or 150′. FIGS. 16A and 16B show a first embodiment of a dual-belttower or rack 300 that provides two rotatable continuous loops or belts310, 320 comprised of linked-together holders (e.g., holders 32 or 32′).In the rack configuration of FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 16C, loop rotation isabout one (or two) rod shaft(s) 40 near the upper fan out region 11, andabout one (or two) rod shaft(s) 26 adjacent the loop lower fan outregion. Preferably shafts 40 and 26 are made of metal for reasons ofstrength, whereas nearly all of the remaining components of rack 300 arepreferably injection molded ABS-type plastic. Alternatively, asdescribed above, the lower shaft and associated sprockets can beeliminated and the lower portions of each loop can hang without engagingagainst or about a sprocket. In FIG. 16A, for ease of illustrating thedrive mechanism, relatively few holders 32 and retained DVD cases 18 areshown on the loop 320. In this illustration, the loop 310 is comprisedof inter-connected single DVD case retaining holders 32, and the loop320 is also comprised of inter-connected single DVD case retainingholders 32.

[0065] The rack 300 includes left and right vertical support members 330and 340 and a central support member 350 (FIG. 16B). These three supportmembers are attached to a base 360, for example, by joining withsections 370 that project upward from the base 360. The dual-belt tower300 can retain approximately twice as many DVDs than the single-belttower 10 shown in FIG. 1. Accordingly, the dual-belt tower 300 shouldhave a larger effective base area (or “footprint”) to promote stabilityand reduce the likelihood of the tower toppling over. For a tower heightof perhaps 38″, the base 360 can measure perhaps 8″×16″. To provide afootprint that is larger than that of the base, outrigger-like side baseprojections 380 are attached to the sides of the base portion. The sidebase projections 380 measure perhaps 2″×12″ and, for the exemplarydimensions given, can provide an effective footprint of about 12″×16″versus 8″×16″ for the base 360 alone.

[0066] As best seen in FIG. 16B, the side base projections 380preferably are removably attached to the base 360, for example byforming the side base projections with grooves that connect toprojections formed in the mating portion of the base 360. Othermechanical features may be formed in the base 360 and side supportmembers to permit interlocking, or interlocking can be accomplishedusing attachment mechanisms such as screws, wing nuts, or the like.

[0067] The advantage of providing user-attachable side base projectionsto increase the effective footprint of the rack 300, is that with theside base projections detached, the rack 300 (and side base portions)can be shipped in a smaller carton. The base cross-sectional area of thecarton is substantially reduced to where the savings in the cost of ahigh quality cardboard carton with indicia printed on the box sides canexceed 10%.

[0068] The base 360 preferably includes a compartment for batteries B1that can power the motor 28, and optionally includes electronics 390associated with an optional barcode scanning system 400 disposed in aclip-on type lamp unit 410 that includes a light source 420, for exampleat least one light emitting diode (LED). The lamp unit 410 attaches to acircular region at the upper portion of the vertical support member 330,which region can be similar in size to the region to which the control37 is attached at the upper portion of the vertical support member 340.Electrical contacts 430 in the base portion of unit 410 mate withcontacts 440 in the vertical support member 330. If no lamp unit isprovided, the otherwise open circular region in the upper portion ofmember 330 can be plugged with a circular knob, similar to the control37. Electrical wiring or traces interconnecting unit 410 to power sourceB1 (or external power provided via input jack J1) and, if present, tocircuit 390 are preferably disposed in or on the interior surface of thevertical support member 330.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment, the unit 410 includes at least a lightsource 420, which illuminates whenever the belts 310 and 320 arerotated, (e.g., by motor 28), and remains on for a brief timethereafter, perhaps a minute. The resultant illumination permits userselection of DVDs as they reach the fan out region 11, even if the rack300 is used in a dark or dimly lit room.

[0070] Optionally, the DVD cases 18 may carry barcode information 450that can identify the DVD contents. Barcode information 450 may becreated by the user, or by the DVD manufacturer. A barcode scanner unit400 preferably disposed within unit 410 can read barcodes 450 as the DVDcases are rotated into fan out region 11.

[0071] An optional handheld remote unit 460 includes a key pad 470, apower source 480 and an output transducer 490, and permits a user tocause the electronics 390 (or at least a portion of the electronics) torecognize a desired barcode 450 when scanned by the unit 410. The unit460 can transmit desired or selected barcode information to the rack 400using, without limitation, ultra sound, radio frequency, or infraredtransmissions. An appropriate sensor 405 detects the transmittedinformation, which is coupled to electronics 390. A user desiring toselect a certain DVD, can input on remote unit 460 the appropriateidentifying information (which can be linked to, or associated with, thedesired bar code either in the remote unit 460 or in the electronics ofthe tower 300), which is then transmitted to the sensor 405. As the twobelts 310 and 320 rotate, scan codes carried by any DVD cases withinscan range of the unit 410 are identified by the unit 410, andelectronics 390 can cause the motor 28 to cease rotation. If desired,cessation of motor rotation can be intentionally delayed by electronics390, to permit belt rotation to bring the desired DVD case to a morevertically upright disposition, e.g., case 18′ in FIG. 16A. The remoteunit 460 may be a modified or unmodified generic control such as used onTVs and VCRs, or it may be an IR or Bluetooth-compliant PDA or laptop ordesktop computer. Rather than manually key in the barcode per se,preferably the remote unit 460 can transmit an abbreviated code oridentification that represents the full barcode of the desired DVD thatcan be translated to represent the barcode identification.

[0072] Additionally or alternatively, electronics 390 can be designed torecognize certain vocal commands enunciated by a user and detected by amodified sensors 405, e.g., “stop”, “go”, “reverse”, “faster” and“slower”. In this fashion, a user who is not sufficiently close to arack to operate the control 37, 37′, or 37″ (described below) but issufficiently close to recognize when a desired object approaches theupper fan out region 11, can vocally command the rack to halt looprotation.

[0073] Both the loops 310 and 320 (FIG. 16A) are simultaneously rotatedin the rack 300 by a single motor 28 that can be identical to the motor28 as shown in FIG. 4. The various drive sprockets and pulley assemblyconfigurations shown in FIG. 4 are preferably also used for the dualloop configuration of FIGS. 16A and 16B. One difference is that thelength of the shaft 40 is increased to drive two rather than onecontinuous belt of linked-together holders 32, and there can be a pairof driven sprockets 22 and 24 at the lower region of the belt 310 and320, and there can be a pair of driven sprockets 36 and 38 at the upperfan out regions 11 for each of the belt 310 and 320. The motor 28 inrack 10 was described as being disposed in a lower portion of the rackhousing. However, in rack 300, the motor 28 is shown as being disposedadjacent the upper portion of the rack housing, as shown in FIG. 16B.Mounting motor 28 in an upper portion of the rack 300 reduces sag ordroop in the loops 310 and 320 that are formed by interlocking theholders 32. As a result of reduced sag, there is less likelihood thatthe loops 310 and 320 will disengage themselves from driven sprockets 36and 38, for example due to the weight of the holders 32, including DVDcases 18. It is noted that the motor 28 in rack 10 (e.g., shown inFIG. 1) can also be disposed in the upper portion of the rack.

[0074] The motor 28 is, for example, about 25 mm in diameter and can bedriven by 9 VDC, provided by batteries B1 disposed in the base 360,where their weight contributes to a lowered center of gravity for theoverall rack. For example, six 1.5 VDC D cells can be used to power therack 300 or an external power source can provide operating potential viaan input power jack J1. In the preferred embodiment, the control 37engages a spring loaded rotary switch S1. In a neutral (i.e., off)position, switch S1 disconnects operating power from the motor 28. Whenswitch S1 is twisted in a clockwise direction, the loops 310 and 320begin to rotate in a first direction, for example clockwise, and whenswitch S1 is twisted with control 37 further clockwise, rotation of theloops 310 and 320 slows. When the control 37 twists switch S1 in acounterclockwise direction, the loops 310 and 320 rotate in the oppositedirection, for example counterclockwise, and when further twistedcounterclockwise, the rotation of belts 310 and 320 slows. When the userreleases control 37, switch S1 is spring-biased to the off position, andall belt rotation ceases, and if unit 410 is present, LEDs 420 willcease illumination a brief time after rotation ceases. If desired,foot-operable controls such as 37′, 37″ may be used in addition to orinstead of control 37, to direct rotation and rotation speed of theloops 310 and 320 in the rack 300. Motor speed and direction ispreferably user-controlled by controlling the polarity of the voltagefrom source B1 coupled to the motor, and magnitude of such voltage.

[0075] Thus, the control 37 (or foot control(s) 37′, 37″) governsoperation of dual-loop rack 300 in a similar fashion as operation ofsingle-loop rack 10 (as shown in FIG. 1). As a DVD box 18 containing adesired DVD 15 is moved on belt 310 or 320 to the fan out position 11 atthe upper portion of rack 300, the user will halt rotation of the motor28 to halt belt rotation. The user can then remove the desired DVDcase(s) 18 from the rack 300.

[0076] It is noted that all of the features relating power supplies,motor operation, remote units, lamps, barcode readers, and the like,that have just been discussed can be included in any of the racksdiscussed herein.

[0077]FIG. 16B is a partial assembled view of the rack 300, showing onlytwo of the many (e.g., perhaps two hundred) linkable holders 32 normallyfound on the rack 300. FIG. 16B depicts internal struts 500 that areused to secure vertical members 330, 340, and 350 to each other. Asnoted, during manufacture and perhaps on rare occasion thereafter it maybe necessary to adjust the tension in the loops 310 and 320. Thoseskilled in the art will recognize that the use of shims or bearingblocks such as 510 are a convenient mechanism for accomplishing suchadjustments. In the preferred embodiment, the left and right distal endsof the lengthened rotatable shaft 40 are retained in concave projectingregions 520 of left and right bearing block units 510. The concaveregion 510 of each bearing block unit 510 captures the distal end of theshaft 40, and can be moved vertically up or down to increase or decreasetension in the loops 310 and 320 formed by the interconnected holders32. An outwardly facing projection 530 on each bearing block unit fitsthrough a slot 540 formed in the vertical support member 330 and 340.Thus, vertical up or down movement of projection 530 increases ordecreases belt tension. Once the desired tension is achieved, thedesired vertical position of projection 530 is secured, for example byscrews 550 that anchor bearing block 510 to an adjacent outer verticalsupport member 330 or 340. As noted, however, many other techniques areknown in the art for adjusting, if needed, tension in a belt, and whatis described above is exemplary.

[0078] As was described with respect to FIGS. 15A-15C, holders 150 or150′ are sized to hold at least two objects 18 in a side-by-sideconfiguration. If desired, the width of holders 150, 150′ could beincreased to retain three or more objects 18 side-by side, in which caseadditional partition sidewalls 180 would be used. The partition sidewallpreferably is joined, at least in part, to portions of the spaced-apartupper and lower walls 160 and 170 of holder 150, 150′. For example, aholder 150, 150′ able to retain three DVD boxes 18, preferably wouldhave two partition sidewalls 180 disposed to separate otherwise adjacentsides of the DVD cases. As with the various other holder embodimentsdescribed herein, such holders can be unitarily formed as a single pieceof material, preferably by injection molding ABS type plastic.

[0079]FIG. 16C depicts a rack embodiment 300′ that uses a single motor28 to rotate the loop 310′ formed from a plurality of dual-objectholders 150, 150′, such as depicted in FIGS. 15A-15C. The various drivesprockets, gears, pulley and drive systems described with respect toFIGS. 1-2, 11A-11B, 12, 13 and 16A-16B are also applicable to rack 300′.The motor 28, which preferably is mounted in an upper region of the rackto reduce the effects of sag on the loops formed by holders 150, 150′and their contents, causes rotation of the upper shaft 40 (and/orsprockets 36, 38) in response to user operation of control 37, and/or37′, 37″, or the remote unit 460. Preferably, the rack 300′ can beprovided with a unit 410, which can illuminate the upper fan out region11 of the rack, and in cooperation with electronics 390 can providescanning of barcodes 450 on objects 18 retained by the dual-objectholders 150, 150′. As described earlier, electronics 390 and sensor 405can also be used to implement voice command operation of loop movement,e.g., direction, speed, halting. The rack 300′ may be provided withdetachable side base members 380 to permit shipping the rack in asmaller carton than would be possible if the actual rack base dimensionsapproximated the effective footprint of the rack 300′.

[0080] In FIG. 17A (and indeed in FIGS. 17B-17D), sprockets 38 and 24(or 24′) are depicted as circles for ease of illustration. In thesefigures, dashed line 560 denotes a simplified locus of the loop path,the loop being formed from interconnected holders such as 32 or 32′ or150 or 150′. Note that the preferably vertical spaced-apart distancebetween axes 40 and 26 in FIG. 17A is approximately half the length ofthe loop formed by the inter-connected holders. As noted elsewhereherein, the mating between male holder interconnect mechanisms 17 andfemale holder interconnect mechanisms 21 is sufficiently flexible toenable the resultant loop to change direction about sprockets 38 and 24in the upper and lower fan out regions.

[0081] The configuration of FIG. 17B is similar to that of FIG. 17Aexcept that the vertical side members 340′ are broadened at the base topresent a somewhat elongated triangular configuration, as contrastedwith the somewhat rectangular configuration shown in FIG. 17A.

[0082] If desired, a plurality of single or multi-loop racks, accordingto the present invention, can be daisy-chained such that user operationof one rack can command rotation of one or more additional racks. Asshown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the communication link 570 between the rackscan be a physical cable, for example connecting communication jacks J2on each rack, or the communication link 570 can be wireless, for exampleBluetooth-compatible RF, detected and signal processed by electronics390 in each rack. In a daisy-chained environment, the user could controla master rack with control 37, 37′, 37″, or control remotely usingdevice 460. Each rack preferably would include a scan unit 410 and whileall racks would rotate their respective loop(s) together, as soon as ascanned object was detected by any rack, loop rotation would cease forthat rack. Alternatively, as soon as a user observed a desired objectapproaching the upper fan out region of a rack, cessation of looprotation for that rack could be user-commanded. If desired,daisy-chaining could be such that when one rack ceases loop rotation,all racks cease loop rotation.

[0083] Although the preferred embodiments have been described withregard to producing loop rotation by means of an electric motor, it willbe appreciated that a loop formed by inter-connected singleobject-retaining or multiple-object retaining holders could instead bemanually rotated. For example, a crankshaft-like member could beattached to upper rotation shaft 40 to directly rotate the shaftmanually. Such crankshaft could project out from the left or right upperportion of a vertical support member. In another embodiment, acontinuous loop formed from inter-connected holders according to thepresent invention might be disposed about two rotation shafts projectingout from a wall or display board. Aside from upper and lower rotationsprockets, no other structure would be required, and the user couldsimply manually rotate the loop. Such embodiment might be useful as partof a store display of merchandise retained by single or multi-objectholders.

[0084] The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of thepresent invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications andvariations will be apparent to the practitioner skilled in the art.Embodiments were chosen and described in order to best describe theprinciples of the invention and its practical application, therebyenabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention, thevarious embodiments and with various modifications that are suited tothe particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of theinvention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A holder adapted to hold an object that can beone of a first size and a second size, the holder comprising: first andsecond fingers retained a spaced-apart distance from each other by abase to admit the object and expose at least part of the object for userselection and removal from the holder; an adjustable retention memberextending from and slidable relative to one of said first and secondfinger; and first and second tabs extending from said retention memberin a direction toward the other of said first and second fingers, saidfirst tab adapted to frictionally retaining at least a portion of theobject when the object is the first size, said second tab adapted tofrictionally retaining at least a portion of the object when the objectis the second size.
 2. The holder as recited in claim 1, wherein saidone of said first and second fingers includes a pair of rails on whichthe adjustable retention member is slidable.
 3. The holder as recited inclaim 1, wherein said adjustable retention member is slidable between atleast a down position and an up position.
 4. The holder as recited inclaim 3, further comprising: an upper hole and lower hole located onsaid one of said first and second fingers; a protrusion located on saidadjustable retention member; and wherein said protrusion rests withinthe lower hole when said adjustable retention member is in the downposition, and said protrusion rests within said upper hole when saidadjustable retention member is in the up position.
 5. The holder asrecited in claim 1, further comprising: a male holder-engaging mechanismextending from said base; and a female holder-engaging mechanismextending from said base; wherein said male holder-engaging mechanism isdisposed to matingly interlock with a female holder-engaging mechanismon a first adjacent holder, and said female holder-engaging mechanism isdisposed to matingly interlock with a male holder-engaging mechanism ona second adjacent holder.
 6. The holder as recited in claim 1, furthercomprising: a male holder-engaging mechanism extending from said basewith a slot extending through said base, said slot located adjacent tosaid male holder-engaging mechanism; and a female holder-engagingmechanism extending from said base: wherein said male holder-engagingmechanism is disposed to matingly interlock with a femaleholder-engaging mechanism on a first adjacent holder, and said femaleholder-engaging mechanism is disposed to matingly interlock with a maleholder-engaging mechanism on a second adjacent holder.
 7. The holder asrecited in claim 6, wherein the female holder-engaging mechanism of oneholder includes a distal end which is shaped to be received in the slotlocated adjacent the male holder-engaging mechanism of another holder.8. A holder adapted to hold an object that can be one of a first sizeand a second size, the holder comprising: first and second fingersretained a spaced-apart distance from each other by a base to admit theobject and expose at least an end of the object, which end is locateddistally from said base, for user selection and removal from the holder;an adjustable retention member extending from and slidable relative toone of said first and said second fingers; and a first tab extendingfrom said retention member in a direction toward the other of said firstand second fingers, said first tab adapted to frictionally retaining theend of the object.
 9. The holder as recited in claim 8, wherein said oneof said first and second fingers includes a rail on which the adjustableretention member is slidable.
 10. The holder as recited in claim 8,wherein said adjustable retention member is slidable between at least adown position and an up position.
 11. The holder as recited in claim 8,further comprising: an upper hole and lower hole located on a surface ofsaid one of said first and second fingers; a protrusion located in saidadjustable retention member; and wherein said protrusion rests withinthe lower hole when said adjustable retention member is in the downposition, and rests within said upper hole when said adjustableretention member is in the up position.
 12. A holder adapted to retainan object, the holder comprising: (a) first and second fingers retaineda spaced-apart distance from each other by a base, said base, said firstfinger and said second finger being sufficiently adapted to admit atleast one object while exposing at least part of the object for userselection and removal from said holder, one of said first and secondfingers having a track; (b) an object retention member that slidablyengages and travels on said track of said one of said first and secondfingers; (c) a male holder-engaging mechanism extending from said base;and (d) a female holder-engaging mechanism extending from said base;wherein a male holder-engaging mechanism on a first said holder isdisposed to matingly interlock with a female holder-engaging mechanismon a second said holder, and a female holder-engaging mechanism on saidfirst said holder is disposed to matingly interlock with a maleholder-engaging mechanism on a third said holder.
 13. The holder ofclaim 1 wherein said holder is adapted to hold one of a DVD case of afirst size and of a second size.
 14. The holder of claim 8 wherein saidholder is adapted to hold one of a DVD case of a first size and of asecond size.